Guardrails - Week #3

God knows something about all of us because what has been true of all humanity is true of you & me.  God's chief competitor for your heart is your money.

Jesus was very clear in Matthew 6:24 that you cannot serve both God and money.  Whatever money or stuff represent for you - safety, security, opportunities, material possessions, or control  - the pursuit of those things can capture your heart. Then we are led towards one of two danger zones - saving or consuming.  We justify our positions by saying...

• I'm a saver
• I'm careful
• I'm just a spender
• I enjoy life

The problem is that both danger zones can be self-centered, fueled by greed, and leave us living as if there is no God.  God uses the habit of giving to combat money from being the master of our hearts and lives.  Giving a percentage of our money away helps us remember that not everything that comes our way is for our consumption.

• What guardrails do you need to establish for consuming or saving?
• Are you giving away a percentage of your income?

Giving to your local church is a great way to support the mission of God and to remember that God is the Master of your life not money.

Guardrails - Week #2

This Sunday we had a special combined program with our Chinese Congregations in which we celebrated 6 baptisms! Click here if you want to learn more or sign-up for a Life Group.

Friendship can a be a good and bad thing because friends can influence us. We are all acceptance magnets - attracted to acceptance and repelled by rejection. We open up when we feel accepted; we close down when we feel rejected. Unfortunately this principle doesn't care if the friends are wise or foolish.

While most areas of life need at least some guardrails, friendship particularly needs 2 guardrails. In Proverbs 13:20, Solomon teaches 2 powerful, friendship guardrails.

Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.

- Are there some foolish friends you need to distance yourself from?

- Are you in opportunities and environments to make wise friends?

Guardrails - Week #1

A guardrail in driving is "a system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off limit areas". We don't usually argue that guardrails shouldn't be present on bridges, medians, or cliffs. In driving, we acknowledge that there are some dangers beyond the guardrail.

In our lives, we also acknowledge danger somewhere out there. But we usually do not acknowledge that we need guardrails to protect & direct us away from that danger.

Our culture will not encourage us to establish guardrails, in fact they most likely will not understand them at all. In Ephesians 5, Paul says that we must be careful how we live, as wise not unwise, and taking advantage of every opportunity.

What area of your life do you need some guardrails?

Guardrails New Series This Sunday

Guardrails are important in driving. However, they mostly go unnoticed until we need them. Thankfully for us, someone else already established them. In our lives the same can be true. Unfortunately, we are the only ones who can establish them, and our culture will not encourage guardrail development. Join us starting August 14 as we discuss different guardrail areas and how to establish them.